British Hacker Guilty of Crypto Theft Charges Uncovered
Cybercrime Investigation
Tyler Robert Buchanan, a 24-year-old British national, has pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft related to a series of cybercrimes committed as part of the notorious Scattered Spider hacking collective.
Sophisticated Scheme
The group, which has been linked to numerous high-profile attacks, orchestrated a sophisticated scheme involving text-message phishing attacks against multiple companies across various industries, resulting in the theft of at least $8 million in cryptocurrency.
Cybercrime Details
- Between September 2021 and April 2023, Scattered Spider conducted hundreds of SMS phishing attacks on a dozen companies, including those in the entertainment, telecommunications, technology, business process outsourcing, and information technology sectors.
- The phishing messages were designed to appear as if they originated from the targeted companies or their contractors, and the recipients were tricked into providing sensitive information, including personal identifying information and account credentials.
- Using the stolen data, the Scattered Spider hackers executed SIM swap attacks, gaining control of the victims’ phone numbers and virtual currency wallets, and transferring millions of dollars to wallets controlled by the group.
Key Players
- Buchanan, who was arrested in June 2024 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and has been in U.S. federal custody since April 2025, faces a statutory maximum sentence of 22 years in prison when he is sentenced on August 21, 2026.
- Three of Buchanan’s accomplices – Ahmed Hossam Eldin Elbadawy, Evans Onyeaka Osiebo, and Joel Martin Evans – were also charged with wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft, and could face up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted.
- Noah Michael Urban (also known as Sosa and Elijah), a key member of the Scattered Spider collective, was previously sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy charges.
According to the indictment, the Scattered Spider hacking collect
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